Interested in super healthy living? Want to know a secret ingredient, one that really repairs, renews, restores? The Bible says it’s a cheerful heart. 

Make no mistake about it, having a merry heart heals. It’s really good medicine. Scripture further says that living with a crushed spirit, one that’s depressed, downcast, full of doom and gloom, leaves one bone-tired and strength-sapped. 

The contrast could not be greater. 

What makes for a merry heart, a lifted life, one full of bounce at the core? God says it’s having heart health and soul strength that’s built around these four experiences:

KNOWING GREAT DELIVERANCE: God delivers people like no one else, like nothing else can. That’s His great business. He brings it in at least three super ways. 

He delivers from sin. (Sin is a monster that separates us from God and others. It entangles, devastates, and rots us from the inside out.) 

He delivers from self. (We sure can get in our own way, becoming our own foolish god and worst enemy.) 

And He delivers from guilt and shame. (God removes this lethal pair that pins us to our past.) 

That’s a mighty good deliverance package. No one delivers like that. No one works like Him. 

Amazon Prime can’t even come close. Neither can a boatload of big bank accounts or a bunch of playoff wins. A delivered life knows pure joy. And a cheerful heart grows (Psalm 71:23, 51:14, 31:1; Romans 7:25).

POSSESSING GREAT PURPOSE: God made us for Himself, for His delight. What a royal, noble thought! He made us for great industry, multiplication and management of this world. And He made us for worship — His! 

He made us to shine like stars in the universe. We exist for His glory. We work, we labor for the King of kings. 

A purpose-driven life defined by God delivers us from “the disease of me” (a bone rot caused by self-centered living) and produces a cheerful heart, full of light and lift (Philippians 2:13-15; Ephesians 1:3-12; Hebrews 6:17–19; 1 Peter 2:9; Genesis 1:28).

HAVING GREAT TRUST: Placing trust in a great coach with a great game plan makes life so exciting. (Can you recall a time doing that and being so glad?) God has drafted great plans for us to follow. 

He gives us abundant reasons to trust Him. Leaving the results to His good care furnishes such joy and rest. Great trust in God produces a cheerful heart (Psalm 28:7, 86:4; Proverbs 3:5-6; Romans 15:13).

HOLDING GREAT HOPE: Some hopes we entertain have little basis. We just hope for hope’s sake. But God gives us great reasons for hope. 

Watch what these Jesus words do to you when you read them: “I have told you all these things so that in Me you might have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world“ (John 16:33). Having great hope in God produces a cheerful heart (Proverbs 10:28; Psalm 146:5 NLT).

Yes, a merry heart is good medicine! Built on deliverance, purpose, trust and hope that God truly gives, this heart heals well and lives strong. This man’s spirit won’t crush and his bones won’t dry up.

Hooray for good meds like God’s gift of a merry heart! 

Reflect: How’s your heart health? Is sin, self, guilt or shame drying your bones? How well are you tapping into the deliverance, purpose, trust and hope God brings to those who follow Him? Who can you bring good cheer to today?

A prayer to consider: LORD, I love the deliverance, purpose, trust and hope you bring to my heart. It fills me with joy and gives me lift and confidence. O how You hydrate my dry bones and help my heart to sing. 

Help me to bring great joy to others and deliver Your good medicine to all who hurt. Amen.